Gene L. Brothers is Associate Professor of Equitable and Sustainable Tourism at North Carolina State University, USA, and he is Co-Founder of P1t Inc. (www.peoplefirsttourism.com). During his 30 plus years in academia, he conducted research on strategic destination management, mentored undergraduate and postgraduate students at several national and international universities, and provided actionable advice and assistance to countless regional destinations. A versatile researcher, he has used a variety of methodologies like big data analytics, augmented machine intelligence, economic impact analysis, quasi-experiments, and participatory action research to examine ways for destinations to be more equitable, sustainable, and competitive. gbrother@ncsu.edu